I'm pretty high on two guys. One because of his size, and the other because I saw him play for 4 years.

Jace Amaro: This could looks like a big-bodied Finley type TE. Maybe J-Mic is faster, but I like this kid's skill set.

Louis Nix: Watched him for 4 years. His junior year by far was his best year. Kept OL off of Te'O and helped him because a Heisman finalist. Stout against the run. Wreaked havoc in the passing game. Senior year he had a knee injury which limited him, if Junior year is the real him, to me he's better than Clowney.

I'm pretty high on two guys. One because of his size, and the other because I saw him play for 4 years.

Jace Amaro: This could looks like a big-bodied Finley type TE. Maybe J-Mic is faster, but I like this kid's skill set.

Louis Nix: Watched him for 4 years. His junior year by far was his best year. Kept OL off of Te'O and helped him because a Heisman finalist. Stout against the run. Wreaked havoc in the passing game. Senior year he had a knee injury which limited him, if Junior year is the real him, to me he's better than Clowney.

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After the workout had Amaro at the combine I don't want to have anything to do with him.

I'm pretty high on two guys. One because of his size, and the other because I saw him play for 4 years.

Jace Amaro: This could looks like a big-bodied Finley type TE. Maybe J-Mic is faster, but I like this kid's skill set.

Louis Nix: Watched him for 4 years. His junior year by far was his best year. Kept OL off of Te'O and helped him because a Heisman finalist. Stout against the run. Wreaked havoc in the passing game. Senior year he had a knee injury which limited him, if Junior year is the real him, to me he's better than Clowney.

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Yeah, I would not rule out Nix. Raji is on a short leash and we can't say we have 2 solid, proven 5 tech base DEs either, a position where Nix could step right in on the strong side in the interim.

I don´t think Nix would be a great fit playing 5 tech, especially with the Packers wanting to get more athletic at the DE position.

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A Nix pick is really a 2015 pick for once Raji is shown the door...in the mean time we could use him at base 5-tech particularly against run-heavy teams. Much depends on whether he has a clean bill of health.

The "athletic, rangy DE" thing as applied to the base D strikes me as on a par with the "interchangeable safety" concept...great if you have that personnel.

Peppers would be that guy if we could wind back the clock a few years. It does not sound like McCarthy plans to throw him out there for 800 snaps this season. If we did not bring him to primarily rush the passer in nickel then I don't know what he's doing here.

One supposes Datone Jones might show up. He's kinda that rangy, athletic weak side guy...if he can prove he's actually a football player. We'd have to play Daniels then on the strong side...that adds up to smaller and more athletic than in the past, I suppose, but Daniels may be a little undersized for the strong side spot.

Given that Raji was never a great run stopper, backing Daniels-Raji-Boyd with Hawk-Jones makes for a physicality deficit between the tackles that I doubt could hold together against the run.

We'd have to draft a physical ILB who can step in right away to make Daniels-Raji-Boyd plausible. Either that or we draft Hagemann or Tuitt, neither of whom I have much enthusiasm for...I doubt this will happen if for no other reason than fingers will be crossed that Boyd can be that guy.

Nix would be the man-in-waiting for NT and a guy who could work in a reversion to Plan A (the big man front) if Boyd doesn't muscle up and/or the draft does not fall our way for the physical ILB.

Louis Nix: His junior year by far was his best year. Stout against the run. Wreaked havoc in the passing game. Senior year he had a knee injury which limited him...

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The interviews and medical exams need to tell the story. If some team concludes correctly that Nix' fall off and weight gain was injury related and he now has a clean bill of health, he could be the steal of this draft. He'd also provide the added benefit of some off field entertainment...he's quite an amusing interviewee.

A Nix pick is really a 2015 pick for once Raji is shown the door...in the mean time we could use him at base 5-tech particularly against run-heavy teams. Much depends on whether he has a clean bill of health.

The "athletic, rangy DE" thing as applied to the base D strikes me as on a par with the "interchangeable safety" concept...great if you have that personnel.

Peppers would be that guy if we could wind back the clock a few years. It does not sound like McCarthy plans to throw him out there for 800 snaps this season. If we did not bring him to primarily rush the passer in nickel then I don't know what he's doing here.

One supposes Datone Jones might show up. He's kinda that rangy, athletic weak side guy...if he can prove he's actually a football player. We'd have to play Daniels then on the strong side...that adds up to smaller and more athletic than in the past, I suppose, but Daniels may be a little undersized for the strong side spot.

Given that Raji was never a great run stopper, backing Daniels-Raji-Boyd with Hawk-Jones makes for a physicality deficit between the tackles that I doubt could hold together against the run.

We'd have to draft a physical ILB who can step in right away to make Daniels-Raji-Boyd plausible. Either that or we draft Hagemann or Tuitt, neither of whom I have much enthusiasm for...I doubt this will happen if for no other reason than fingers will be crossed that Boyd can be that guy.

Nix would be the man-in-waiting for NT and a guy who could work in a reversion to Plan A (the big man front) if Boyd doesn't muscle up and/or the draft does not fall our way for the physical ILB.

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I agree that it is debatable if we have the more athletic guys on the roster who can play against the run in the base defense. I just have a hard time thinking Nix is able to play at the 5-tech, even if it is only for one season.

I agree that it is debatable if we have the more athletic guys on the roster who can play against the run in the base defense. I just have a hard time thinking Nix is able to play at the 5-tech, even if it is only for one season.

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I don't see why not. Pickett did it with regularity through 2011 and occasionally since. Boyd is not exactly the second coming of J. J. Watt.

Nix is always gonna be big, so the weight issues don't concern me. The knee was injured last year and I believe he tried to play through it for about a game and a half before finally having surgery. It's also a Patella, not an ACL.

Nix is always gonna be big, so the weight issues don't concern me. The knee was injured last year and I believe he tried to play through it for about a game and a half before finally having surgery. It's also a Patella, not an ACL.

A Nix pick is really a 2015 pick for once Raji is shown the door...in the mean time we could use him at base 5-tech particularly against run-heavy teams. Much depends on whether he has a clean bill of health.

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All of Thompson's picks are 2015 picks. That's the way he addresses the draft.